Getting Back in Shape

[Wynona]

I'd like to get in shape too. My first goal is to get up to 50 pushups without stopping. Then, be able to do handstands. I plan to do this at home. Im not a big gym person.

I am in an ongoing weight loss journey. Slow and steady. After pregnancy, I somehow got below my pre pregnancy weight. At 184 pounds, Im rather close to my goal of 162 pounds. Im 5'8" so this would bring me to a healthy BMI.

I can't overexercise at this point being postpartum but I can still apparently do 4 pushups at a time (down from 10) so I have a ways to go to reach my pushup goal.

Maybe these seem like small goals but they are big for me.

Congratulations @RLT63 for your weight loss. That's wonderful, man!

 

[Rockerduck]

I was trying to exercise last week but mosquitos kept sucking the blood out of me. On top of that I was sweating from running around swatting at those pesky bugs. But guess what, I lost 5 lbs. I guess swatting mosquitos is a sport now.

 

[RLT63]

288 now and 13 weeks left to get to 260

 

[RLT63]

I'd like to get in shape too. My first goal is to get up to 50 pushups without stopping. Then, be able to do handstands. I plan to do this at home. Im not a big gym person.

I am in an ongoing weight loss journey. Slow and steady. After pregnancy, I somehow got below my pre pregnancy weight. At 184 pounds, Im rather close to my goal of 162 pounds. Im 5'8" so this would bring me to a healthy BMI.

I can't overexercise at this point being postpartum but I can still apparently do 4 pushups at a time (down from 10) so I have a ways to go to reach my pushup goal.

Maybe these seem like small goals but they are big for me.

Congratulations @RLT63 for your weight loss. That's wonderful, man!

That’s a great goal. I’m reading Atomic Habits and the author says you should do your workouts even if you just do a little bit you are establishing a habit and if you keep doing it eventually you will do more.

 

[RLT63]

I was trying to exercise last week but mosquitos kept sucking the blood out of me. On top of that I was sweating from running around swatting at those pesky bugs. But guess what, I lost 5 lbs. I guess swatting mosquitos is a sport now.

I bought an adjustable bench I’ve been using for a few weeks. Yesterday I set it flat and was going to do dumbbell pullovers. As I laid across the bench with a 50 pound dumbbell the bench adjusted down and dumped me in the floor.
Luckily I wasn’t hurt.
I guess I am too heavy to use it that way.
I’ve been doing incline flys and incline dumbbell bench press with no problems on the bench.

 

[RLT63]

CreateConnectCommit.com

Create Connect Commit teaches people how to do the one thing that most people can’t do; Change

createconnectcommit.com

Create Connect Commit is my program to help people change.
Step two is Connect, join a group of like minded people.
If you want to develop good habits then associate with people who are successful at what you want to do.
In AA people share their experiences with a group. In Weight Watchers people weigh in a group and share their experiences.
People who join group exercise programs have more success.
I train alone and don’t have a group so this website is my Connect.
It’s how I share my experience.
I have a couple of people I have told about my goals and I have the website.

 

[Taken]

@RLT63

Good for you! Sounds like you have a wonderful quality to set worthy goals and follow through for a good outcome that is beneficial for you.

I would guess why you gained weight was an effect of “modern” times, being long commutes for work and the convenience of available “crap” foods (void of nutrition, and pack on the pounds) to eat, that short term satisfy the stomach, but not the bodies cells.

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[RLT63]

@RLT63

Good for you! Sounds like you have a wonderful quality to set worthy goals and follow through for a good outcome that is beneficial for you.

I would guess why you gained weight was an effect of “modern” times, being long commutes for work and the convenience of available “crap” foods (void of nutrition, and pack on the pounds) to eat, that short term satisfy the stomach, but not the bodies cells.

Glory to God,
Taken

Yes we have a tendency to go for instant satisfaction. It takes discipline to opt for delayed satisfaction. The effects of eating right and exercising take time to see results whereas the instant satisfaction of great taste and a full belly seems more attractive.

 

[Behold]

When I went into the 7th grade I was picked on, bullied and beat up repeatedly.
One day in PE they took us in a room with a Universal Machine and we started lifting weights. I could bench press more than anyone else. Someone told me they could still beat me up .
There was a weight set at home and I started working out with it, push ups and jogging.
I didn’t know what I was doing I just worked until I couldn’t do anymore. My father told me I needed a book to show me what to do but I couldn’t find one.
A year later I flew to Georgia to visit relatives and when I landed and went through the airport there was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book The Education of a Bodybuilder.
I started buying magazines too and found out about Mike Mentzer’s high intensity training.
By the 9th grade I was a different person. The second week of school someone started a fight with me and I hit him so hard that his eye swelled shut.
After that I was popular. That’s what every kid wants. I got in a lot of fights that year but after that 10th through 12th grade I didn’t have to fight anymore,
Lifting weights was a way of life for me. I never competed but I got pretty strong for someone who didn’t use steroids.
My best lifts were Bench Press 405 x 5, Squats 405 x10, 315 x 20, Leg Press 1,000 x 10, Dumbbell Curls 80 x 10, One Arm Rows 120x 20
Lifting weights helped me with my career in law enforcement and security.
6 years ago I got remarried and moved 70 miles from my job and had to commute. There was no room for my equipment so I had to sell it.
I gained 100 pounds
Three months ago I started working out again and I have lost 40 pounds. I’m trying to lose another 40 by December and then a total of 100 in a year or less.
I started with DDP Yoga because it has a program for people that are completely out of shape. I started using the X3 Bar and band system, a Total Gym and Dumbbells.
I recommend DDP Yoga if you’re out of shape or have limited mobility.
The X3 band system is great if you don’t have a lot of space. I put everything in a duffel bag and store it out of the way when I finish working out

Maybe you could also join a Gym, and add that to your current training program.

 

[RLT63]

Maybe you could also join a Gym, and add that to your current training program.

Thanks. Right now I train at home by myself. Joining a gym is great because you associate with other people who are working out. I like the convenience of working out at home for now though

 

[Behold]

Thanks. Right now I train at home by myself. Joining a gym is great because you associate with other people who are working out. I like the convenience of working out at home for now though

I totally understand where you are coming from......really.

Training at home, if you have the gear..........as that is Job 1.

I need a 60LB or 27.21 Kg barbell and 2 of those 60's, as dumbbells. So, that's just not doable to order online, for me anyway, so, the Gym is the place where i can get those in my hands.. 3-4 times a week.

Also, and you know this.... once you are going to the gym for over a decade, weekly, you sort of forget about other people, as after years of "doing your circuit", you just want to get in there, do the work, and get out.......You're not there for the small talk.

I need those specific weights, and i need the cable machines, and i do also find that because im working out around other people, this "association"...does cause me to concentrate more on the perfect lift, ect.
When i've tried to do all this at home....solo.. i find the motivation is not equal to the motivation i usually feel in a gym.
There is something about going to the gym that sets the mind into..>"do the job correctly".
Sometimes, when i just dont want to be there... i'll focus on some people who are always there at the same time who i know are just putting so much effort into it, and this usually motivates me on those occasional days when im sleep deprived and just would rather be tanning on the beach.....

 

[Rockerduck]

I stopped eating potato chips 3 days ago. I ate them with my turkey sandwich. I lost 5 lbs. I do regular yard work and sweat. I was surprised those chips add that much fat to your diet. Oh, I stopped eating bread too.

 

[RLT63]

I totally understand where you are coming from......really.

Training at home, if you have the gear..........as that is Job 1.

I need a 60LB or 27.21 Kg barbell and 2 of those 60's, as dumbbells. So, that's just not doable to order online, for me anyway, so, the Gym is the place where i can get those in my hands.. 3-4 times a week.

Also, and you know this.... once you are going to the gym for over a decade, weekly, you sort of forget about other people, as after years of "doing your circuit", you just want to get in there, do the work, and get out.......You're not there for the small talk.

I need those specific weights, and i need the cable machines, and i do also find that because im working out around other people, this "association"...does cause me to concentrate more on the perfect lift, ect.
When i've tried to do all this at home....solo.. i find the motivation is not equal to the motivation i usually feel in a gym.
There is something about going to the gym that sets the mind into..>"do the job correctly".
Sometimes, when i just dont want to be there... i'll focus on some people who are always there at the same time who i know are just putting so much effort into it, and this usually motivates me on those occasional days when im sleep deprived and just would rather be tanning on the beach.....

I used to enjoy training at the gym because I was showing off. It did motivate me to hear people talking about me and see them watching me.
That wouldn’t be the case now. I would be the one watching someone else.
I do have cast iron weights and dumbbells set up at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 pounds. I can add more weight if I need to. I have a barbell and right now it only has 60 pounds on it. I have 4 Kettlebells.
I have an adjustable bench, Total Gym, X3 and the DDP Yoga app. So I’m well set up to train at home. Motivation is a problem sometimes but I manage.

 

[Behold]

I used to enjoy training at the gym because I was showing off. It did motivate me to hear people talking about me and see them watching me.
That wouldn’t be the case now. I would be the one watching someone else.
I do have cast iron weights and dumbbells set up at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 pounds. I can add more weight if I need to. I have a barbell and right now it only has 60 pounds on it. I have 4 Kettlebells.
I have an adjustable bench, Total Gym, X3 and the DDP Yoga app. So I’m well set up to train at home. Motivation is a problem sometimes but I manage.

Yes, Gyms are filled with mirrors for a reason....

Its normal human behavior to appreciate it when someone notices the years of hard work that have developed a beautiful physique.

The callouses on the hands, the months you had to recover from some injury, or sometimes a year, or sometimes you just dont heal that well.... while you keep going to the gym..

Most people who go to the gym, use the bike, the Tread, and they dont have a clue, as to the torture, really, that is required to turn the body into the Man of Steel .

So, if the Man of Steel, enjoys being noticed.... ....then they have certainly earned the light.

-Happy Lifting

 

[RLT63]

Yes, Gyms are filled with mirrors for a reason....

Its normal human behavior to appreciate it when someone notices the years of hard work that have developed a beautiful physique.

The callouses on the hands, the months you had to recover from some injury, or sometimes a year, or sometimes you just dont heal that well.... while you keep going to the gym..

Most people who go to the gym, use the bike, the Tread, and they dont have a clue, as to the torture, really, that is required to turn the body into the Man of Steel .

So, if the Man of Steel, enjoys being noticed.... ....then they have certainly earned the light.

-Happy Lifting

Yes I didn’t compete so the workout was my sport. Getting noticed was payoff for all the hard work. My hands were so calloused I used to cut the callouses off and let them grow back. And working around injuries is more common the older I get

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

When I went into the 7th grade I was picked on, bullied and beat up repeatedly.
One day in PE they took us in a room with a Universal Machine and we started lifting weights. I could bench press more than anyone else. Someone told me they could still beat me up .
There was a weight set at home and I started working out with it, push ups and jogging.
I didn’t know what I was doing I just worked until I couldn’t do anymore. My father told me I needed a book to show me what to do but I couldn’t find one.
A year later I flew to Georgia to visit relatives and when I landed and went through the airport there was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book The Education of a Bodybuilder.
I started buying magazines too and found out about Mike Mentzer’s high intensity training.
By the 9th grade I was a different person. The second week of school someone started a fight with me and I hit him so hard that his eye swelled shut.
After that I was popular. That’s what every kid wants. I got in a lot of fights that year but after that 10th through 12th grade I didn’t have to fight anymore,
Lifting weights was a way of life for me. I never competed but I got pretty strong for someone who didn’t use steroids.
My best lifts were Bench Press 405 x 5, Squats 405 x10, 315 x 20, Leg Press 1,000 x 10, Dumbbell Curls 80 x 10, One Arm Rows 120x 20
Lifting weights helped me with my career in law enforcement and security.
6 years ago I got remarried and moved 70 miles from my job and had to commute. There was no room for my equipment so I had to sell it.
I gained 100 pounds
Three months ago I started working out again and I have lost 40 pounds. I’m trying to lose another 40 by December
I started with DDP Yoga because it has a program for people that are completely out of shape. I started using the X3 Bar and band system, a Total Gym and Dumbbells.
I recommend DDP Yoga if you’re out of shape or have limited mobility.
The X3 band system is great if you don’t have a lot of space. I put everything in a duffel bag and store it out of the way when I finish working out

It seems like almost half of the country is obese! This was not the norm fifty years ago. What's different? We drank sodas, ate Ice cream and pizza then too.
High Fructose Corn Syrup is 20x sweeter than suger. They use it in everything. It's in bread too unless you make your own or buy Dave's Killer Bread or another brand of organic bread.
Hydrogenated oils ( trans fats) are used in hundreds of processed foods.
Preservatives they say protect us from harmful bacteria spoiling the food and so they add it to increase shelf life. But what about your intestinal flora, the good bacteria? Newsflash: The preservatives work against them too, hence against digestion.
Asparatame/ nutrasweet is very unhealthy and is in diet drinks and foods - don't think that will help you lose weight, it doesn't and it can be harmful to some people.
SUCRALOSE is made with crine and destroys intestinal floral- so remove this harmful ingredient from your diet toxic.
>>> 4-cro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranose and 1,6-dicro-1,6-dideoxy-beta-D-fructofuranose units linked by a glycosidic bond
You want to put that in your body?

Shame on the FDA for allowing all this toxic crap that they approved. There are hundreds ingredients/ additives that the USA/FDA has approved that have been banned in other countries. Do your due diligence research!
Look at the ingredients folks, if it has more than five and/or multiple sugar based ingredients, don't eat it. A good practice is don't eat processed foods at all. Shop the perimeter of the store: vegetables, meats and dairy and try to stay out of the ailes. Organic, homemade food is the best - if you really want to be healthy and live long.
I just learned the other day that we need copper, a trace mineral involved in the digestion of sugar. But zinc binds to copper and elimates it and I have for years been using zinc to avoid colds. It's good to take when you have a cold, but I guess now I will decrease my zinc_ innorder to help get rid of my sugar.
Protein is good to thwart your sweet gravings.

Bonus:
Did you ever wonder why Japanese are thin? You won't see obesity, so prevalent in this USA over there. This country is deficient in IODINE! Japan consumes 4x as much over there. Iodine is essential for your thyroid which regulates metabolism and body weight.
>> THEY CONSUME LOTS OF SEAWEED. Seaweed/Kelp is loaded with iodine. So either put sushi on your grocery list or take a couple grams of kelp supplements ( and btw, we usually need several times more the RDA). For instance, the RDA for vitamin D3 is 400iu. We need 10x that much. Of course you can get 15k iu of Vit. D from a half our of sun bathing ( and I know I can handle two hours of sun before I'm burnt that's me. The USA is Vit. D deficient too. In the winter, people stay indoors , hence lack sun > lack of Vit. D > and we get more sick. Consuming loads of holiday sweets and drinks contributes to being more susceptible to illness. Bacteria and viruses feed on sugar ( remember that when you are sick).

Why are we deficient in iodine? Well they knew the value of iodine 100 years ago and started ionizing salt. However, in the 70's and 80's salt became an enemy and people started restricting it in fear of heart problems and high blood pressure.
Salt used to be very valuable and used as money. They say we need 1500 mg./ day but likely more is needed, especially in desert climates.
So by cutting salt, our iodine intake suffered.
They also misunderstood the cause of weight gain back then thinking it was fat in our diets; so they started churning out margarine to replace butter (I never liked it) and put us on fat free diets loaded with hydrogenated oils (trans fats) and additives we can't pronounce. We know now, we have to watch our carbs and lots of other stuff mentioned above.

So a lot of why we are overweight is not our fault, it's the consumption of additives in food that we think are safe and healthy. But we must be responsible with what we put in our mouths.

I like the SAYNO diet. Make a list of foods you normally eat and say no to half of them ... or most. Some people live on junk food - their choice. Self control is wise!
And by all means, exercise!

 

[RLT63]

It seems like almost half of the country is obese! This was not the norm fifty years ago. What's different? We drank sodas, ate Ice cream and pizza then too.
High Fructose Corn Syrup is 20x sweeter than suger. They use it in everything. It's in bread too unless you make your own or buy Dave's Killer Bread or another brand of organic bread.
Hydrogenated oils ( trans fats) are used in hundreds of processed foods.
Preservatives they say protect us from harmful bacteria spoiling the food and so they add it to increase shelf life. But what about your intestinal flora, the good bacteria? Newsflash: The preservatives work against them too, hence against digestion.
Asparatame/ nutrasweet is very unhealthy and is in diet drinks and foods - don't think that will help you lose weight, it doesn't and it can be harmful to some people.
SUCRALOSE is made with crine and destroys intestinal floral- so remove this harmful ingredient from your diet toxic.
>>> 4-cro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranose and 1,6-dicro-1,6-dideoxy-beta-D-fructofuranose units linked by a glycosidic bond
You want to put that in your body?

Shame on the FDA for allowing all this toxic crap that they approved. There are hundreds ingredients/ additives that the USA/FDA has approved that have been banned in other countries. Do your due diligence research!
Look at the ingredients folks, if it has more than five and/or multiple sugar based ingredients, don't eat it. A good practice is don't eat processed foods at all. Shop the perimeter of the store: vegetables, meats and dairy and try to stay out of the ailes. Organic, homemade food is the best - if you really want to be healthy and live long.
I just learned the other day that we need copper, a trace mineral involved in the digestion of sugar. But zinc binds to copper and elimates it and I have for years been using zinc to avoid colds. It's good to take when you have a cold, but I guess now I will decrease my zinc_ innorder to help get rid of my sugar.
Protein is good to thwart your sweet gravings.

Bonus:
Did you ever wonder why Japanese are thin? You won't see obesity, so prevalent in this USA over there. This country is deficient in IODINE! Japan consumes 4x as much over there. Iodine is essential for your thyroid which regulates metabolism and body weight.
>> THEY CONSUME LOTS OF SEAWEED. Seaweed/Kelp is loaded with iodine. So either put sushi on your grocery list or take a couple grams of kelp supplements ( and btw, we usually need several times more the RDA). For instance, the RDA for vitamin D3 is 400iu. We need 10x that much. Of course you can get 15k iu of Vit. D from a half our of sun bathing ( and I know I can handle two hours of sun before I'm burnt that's me. The USA is Vit. D deficient too. In the winter, people stay indoors , hence lack sun > lack of Vit. D > and we get more sick. Consuming loads of holiday sweets and drinks contributes to being more susceptible to illness. Bacteria and viruses feed on sugar ( remember that when you are sick).

Why are we deficient in iodine? Well they knew the value of iodine 100 years ago and started ionizing salt. However, in the 70's and 80's salt became an enemy and people started restricting it in fear of heart problems and high blood pressure.
Salt used to be very valuable and used as money. They say we need 1500 mg./ day but likely more is needed, especially in desert climates.
So by cutting salt, our iodine intake suffered.
They also misunderstood the cause of weight gain back then thinking it was fat in our diets; so they started churning out margarine to replace butter (I never liked it) and put us on fat free diets loaded with hydrogenated oils (trans fats) and additives we can't pronounce. We know now, we have to watch our carbs and lots of other stuff mentioned above.

So a lot of why we are overweight is not our fault, it's the consumption of additives in food that we think are safe and healthy. But we must be responsible with what we put in our mouths.

I like the SAYNO diet. Make a list of foods you normally eat and say no to half of them ... or most. Some people live on junk food - their choice. Self control is wise!
And by all means, exercise!

Weight Watchers seems to be working for me. I’ve lost 50 pounds in four months. It helps you make better choices. I hope to lose 50 more. I drink more diet drinks and diet tea than I should but doing good otherwise.

 

[Cassandra]

50 years ago, we were all out running around instead of being on phones, and computers.

 

[APAK]

@RLT63 I'm glad you are on a mission for success. The thing about retraining and re-toning and or regaining bulk again in your late 50s, even 60s and 70s for some is that you have to be extra careful you mind does not dictate what are your safe limits and boundaries that will not cause you to have unnecessary pain and even injuries, that can last for months and not weeks as when you were in your 30s or 40s.

My story is that I have generally been active especially up to my early 50s. Played, coached and refed soccer until I was about 40. I used to play rugby to High School...and other active sports like tennis and even completitive track.

And I've battled my genetic disposition and mental lapses with the right amount and quality of intake of food versus calorie expenditures by riding the weight loss to weight gain cycles especially since my 40s.

Never really been into weight training and bulking out though.

Fast forward...

10 years ago I herniated my second to lowest disk. The effects were practically all gone in 2 months. Once in a while I would get a gentle ache in my lower back.

This March, out of nowhere, by my reckoning at least, I had difficulty in my back and had trouble in the bathroom getting off and out as always. The pain was so excruciating and felt deep. I began to use two canes.....

Fast forward again....

Went to a pain specialist....did a new MRI of my lumbar region....the 10yr old disk herniation completely healed...the lowest disk now was degenerating, with no photo views of any nerve impingement noted. I had a sporadic and real pain grabbing me especially in my lower calf to Achilles area of my left leg, and also to a lesser degree in the waistline of the back.

Went for 13 sessions of PT since the start of August.....lost 10 lbs.. as the doc recommended I do lose some weight since a shiny face of one vertebrae/ spinal bone above that disk indicated a stressed area, although not cracked etc....

The PT was a great for me.

I substantially strengthened my core body area with mat and standing routines of isometrics and mild weight training....developed my own home exercise program in the process....Have be loyal to it since I began PT 2.5 months now. My shape looks like am back in my 40 year old body again and I have more agility and can spring up with ease again. My pain in my leg when I walk my 3 miles is virtually gone.....

So BL.....I developed a precise and surgically targeted comprehensive rigorous 5 circuits training program for/per each of the modes of activity (mat, standing, resistance band, stability (Swedish) ball and cardio training) for my body with an accent on the core area. That is a total of 25 circuit plans that I then rotate and use in sequence every day. And it makes it interesting and not boring at all. The average circuit is 20-25 minutes.

And in addition to these, I have about 10 types of exercises that the PT folks recommended I do 3x a week like: dead bugs, one leg dead lift, resistance banded bird dogs, marching bridges, hip abduction, weight Farmers walk with high knees, kettle weight dead lifts, Squat overhead Press....

The equipment I have at home include elastic/ rubber resistance bands of difference force levels. Some very light 10lb to over 120 lbs. Some are tubular some of flat. I have some hooked up to my door jams for a 'pulloff' press anti-rotational core abs exercises. Very effective for the core areas.

I have kettle weights, and an XL stability ball and a 1.5 inch thick portable exercise mat.

Keep on truckin' and watch your clothes not fit again....

 

[Ronald David Bruno]

Weight Watchers seems to be working for me. I’ve lost 50 pounds in four months. It helps you make better choices. I hope to lose 50 more. I drink more diet drinks and diet tea than I should but doing good otherwise.

Stevia, erythritol, monk fruit are good sugar substitutes I use. But yeah, they are nutrition experts. I tried Atkins for two weeks and lost 1 lb/ day but that was difficult. 25 grams of carbs/day is difficult.
I am 67, 6'1" and 220 lbs. According to the charts, I am at least 30 lbs. overweight. That is a youngster chart. They add 10lbs for the elderly.
Of course one could add up to 40 lbs of muscle like Arnold did, but that is extreme.
We want to be between 20-25 BMI.
According to this chart at my height anything over 227lbs is getting into obesity- again unless I was a body builder.